Upgrading from Sram Apex crank what's the best options ?

ricey155

Hi all my current planet x is sitting on about 4000 miles and has the Sram apex compact crank 50/34T installed

rear cassette is apex as well PG1050 running 11-26 It has Red levers and red blackbox rear derailler http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=27853 Apex front

Ok so i feel i need to upgrade it slightly the bike has been great and loved riding it, I've toyed with a new bike but the frame does the job for me i don't race i just love riding as quick as i can and pushing myself against the clock

so what's the best valve for money crank upgrade ? be it force, red, fsa, vision etc I'm not spending money for nothing just want to give it a summer upgrade new chain, crank, rear cassette, ceramic bottom bracket maybe I'd like to save some weight and re use the apex stuff again when the winter arrives

your experience, guideance is appreciated

ride safe

ugo.santalucia

Remember a crank upgrade can leave you a few hundred pounds poorer, but it won't make a hell of a difference on the road. It is 90% cosmetic and the difference in weight between a Tiagra crankset and a SRAM Red or Super Record one are risible.
A new crankset is an option when the old one is worn beyond repair.

As for ceramic bearings, read my blog

http://paolocoppo.drupalgardens.com/con ... s-bearings

ricey155

Excellent blog ill enjoy reading through all your writes up through the day

I'm waiting on the BB tool my bottom bracket may well just need nipping up or taking out cleaning and re-tightening as i have a little very little play / wobble side to side

I'm just bored and need a FIX a bike fix eg a new bike new parts etc :-) a little money burning a hole in my pocket, apex to red is about 200g weight saving as said hardly massive but if i upgrade id like the best parts rather than buying cheap again

ugo.santalucia

Ricey155 wrote:

Excellent blog ill enjoy reading through all your writes up through the day

I'm waiting on the BB tool my bottom bracket may well just need nipping up or taking out cleaning and re-tightening as i have a little very little play / wobble side to side

I'm just bored and need a FIX a bike fix eg a new bike new parts etc :-) a little money burning a hole in my pocket, apex to red is about 200g weight saving as said hardly massive but if i upgrade id like the best parts rather than buying cheap again

We are all bored, the problem is the weather... too little cycling means too much time to think about it and buy sxxt... In the following order, the best upgrades are

1) Clothing... bibshorts and waterproof/windproof top the list
2) shoes... light shoes are so much better than heavy ones for your ankles
3) Brake pads... some good quality ones might save your life
3) Tyres...a good set of tyres really does feel a lot better than some junk like the Durano or the Vittoria Zaffiro
4) Wheels... if you are on Shimano R 500, that's a good thing to do, getting something that rolls a bit better

flasher

Ricey155 wrote:

I'm just bored and need a FIX a bike fix eg a new bike new parts etc :-) a little money burning a hole in my pocket, apex to red is about 200g weight saving as said hardly massive but if i upgrade id like the best parts rather than buying cheap again

Honest answer well done

I've never run SRAM but if I did it'd have to be Red

ricey155

Well my GXP BB removal tool arrived today and took the crank out to inspect looks ok not that bad

I cleaned the apex crank up and off the bike its got a few chipped teeth it works fine but i guess maybe a spare might be handy as its not going to last forever

I'll buy some parts just need to find a bargain £200 for 2011 red crank or £150 for the force which is also carbon so slight upgrade over APEX

any other options worth throwing in ?

I've been riding all winter done 1200 miles since January with about 3 weeks off due to snow etc so no summer riding wimp

ricky1980

u can try the FSA ones, tho the SL-K is the entry carbon arms. and they are not much cheaper than the red and certainly not cheaper than Force.

Force is good S950 S900 are another carbon ones if u can find them on Ebay...they sometimes go for cheap.

53/39 variant always sells for a lot less than then 50/34 version. so that might be a good option.

to be perfectly honest, i changed my caad's crank to SL-K did i notice any difference. no. did it shed some weight so it saves me a bit of effort when i carry the bike up 8 flights of stairs? maybe. but in terms of riding difference i can't say ya or nay.

save your bucks and upgrade the more performance parts like the wheels - get ugo build you a nice set of lightweight ones or buy some styling kit

sorry if you really want to change chainset...if your chainrings aren't worn, maybe but the crank arms themselves. not sure this is a cheaper option or not

ricey155

Cheers Ricky

I think i'm after a new look on the old girl, red is tasty I've got half already if i got the crank/chainrings and red sprocket I'd have the full red system (will it make me faster i guess not) the bike was suppose to have FSA on it but arrived with APEX i had an issue with that so i've never quiet been happy with the spec :-)

you only live once (i get told that a lot lately) i'll mull it over again till i give in i guess.

your right about wheels, I'm using carbon tubs 50mm for most of my summer riding another well i've not used tubs or carbons so i bought them practical yes/no heavy training tyres probably don't give me the best ride

ride more think less i guess, bring on the sun less typing and searching for products :-)

StillGoing

Have a look around for the SRAM Red/Black cranksets as they can often be found at a reasonable price. I swapped cranksets from Red to Red/Black to get shorter crank arms following a proper fitting. The Red cranks found their way on to my winter bike.

keef66

You sure about the chipped teeth? New chainrings come with differently profiled teeth to aid the shifting of the chain on and off.

ricey155

right i best take another look at that then, they looked pretty battered and deffo starting to SHARK FIN

I'm toying with just replacing the top ring and chain & rear sprocket for new for this summer and then use the old stuff again next winter before i buy myself a new frame as a b'day treat

ricey155

would the FSA chainring fit the apex 5 bolt crank ?? it looks like it does ??

are they made to fit any 5 bolt crank

ricky1980

Ya as long as the chain rings are the same BCD as your crank.

Some rings have this metal pin sticking out as a guide when installing the chain ring so you put this pin under the crank. I think the FSA ones are longer than SRAM so you need to file this ping down a bit. This I think is due to the crank design as the FSA ones have different shape and is better for shoe clearance.

keef66

Ricey155 wrote:

right i best take another look at that then, they looked pretty battered and deffo starting to SHARK FIN

Does sound worn if that's the case. I'd just replace the worn ring(s)

rolf_f

Ricey155 wrote:

right i best take another look at that then, they looked pretty battered and deffo starting to SHARK FIN

I'm toying with just replacing the top ring and chain & rear sprocket for new for this summer and then use the old stuff again next winter before i buy myself a new frame as a b'day treat

Post pics if you can. 4000 miles is hardly used so unless you haven't been looking after your bike or have truly awsome quad power, the probability thatthe rings are worn is small.

Of course, by now you should have already done at least one chain swap and probably be due another.

ricey155

a chain swop ? though they came as a pair

ordered a new chain and rear sprocket for spares sram red fell through eBaY so sticking with the APEX after all that chat

bike rides fine just tinkering with ideas all the time, I've started looking at wheels instead after a few comments above

ricky1980

there are loads of force cranks on ebay saw one go for £60 BB30 with 53/39 pretty good deal

ricey155

yeah I've been looking, if a bargain pops up i'll invest no rush

cheers for the heads up

ricey155

Back on this :-)

Toyed with a new bike, never been happy with apex branded stuff
OK it's not holding me back but I want the best for a change

So upgrading I fancy Q rings what's the verdict on there cranks compared to SRAM red
?

Do I go SRAM red arms then buy q rings or go totally rotor and rings

Must be the weather change again its got to happen this time

jimmythecuckoo

I have Sram apex on mine with a set of FSA cranks. All works fine if that helps you in any way.

StillGoing

I have Q rings on a SRAM Red spider. Can you not just put some rings on your Apex spider rather than buying a complete crankset?

ricey155

cool the shops tell me the Q rings by rotor fit no problem on apex crank so I'm trying them for the winter see if there any good before the new bike arrives March 2014

jimmythecuckoo wrote:

I have Sram apex on mine with a set of FSA cranks. All works fine if that helps you in any way.